A Healthy Dose
Almost two decades of writing on natural health from our monthly newsletters, and the Debra's braintrust. A deep dive into herbs, vitamins, and common sense.
Aug 2023

Throughout my life, smoothies have been a staple, a balm, a lifesaver.  The idea is simple, and the execution is simpler.  You dump a bunch of things in the blender; 30 second later, you have breakfast.  Done right, it’s that old cliché – delicious AND nutritious.  And reasonably inexpensive. And very little to clean up

Aug
2023
Jun 2023

4 ostensibly “bad-for-you” foods that that are much better for you than you might have heard…

Jun
2023
cultivated cordyceps mushrooms
Mar 2023

Medicinal Mushroom for Energy, Vitality, Immunity, Jet Lag, and More. Trending on social media, but is it for real?

Mar
2023
Feb 2023

Better sleep? Better digestion? Reduced pain and inflammation? Amy says “yes,” and then some. 

Feb
2023
Jan 2023

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is tricky. Basically, you show up at the doctor’s office with lower GI symptoms – alternating constipation and/or diarrhea, gas and bloating perhaps, maybe bowel pain and cramping that goes away when you have a bowel movement – and when the doctor can’t diagnose anything else wrong with you, it gets called

Jan
2023
vitamins
Nov 2022

(See part 1 here) Multivitamin technologies fall into four basic categories. I have my favorite! And I’ll tell you what it is — eventually. In the meantime, as I go through the four options, bear in mind two things. First, not everyone uses these terms the same way I do. You need to get past

Nov
2022
vitamins
Oct 2022

So… do we really need a multivitamin? Well, “need” is a strong word… Okay, should we take a multivitamin? Some of us definitely should! You definitely want to consider a multi if you don’t eat a balanced diet. Or you’ve got some malabsorption issue – think celiac, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. Or you’re on severe

Oct
2022
Sep 2022

A subset of people have always suffered from diverse, chronic symptoms following viral infections — although they haven’t always been taken seriously. Long COVID may be worse, or more prevalent. But it’s not unprecedented.

Sep
2022
Aug 2022

In the fall of 2000, I wrote my first article ever for the Debra’s newsletter, an ode to and an appreciation for whey protein. Obviously, it was a favorite! 20 years later, and I still like whey. But some things have changed

Aug
2022
Jul 2022

We can’t cure asthma, but we can help, with obscure medicinal plants and at least common culinary spice (common in India…)

Jul
2022
Jun 2022

This is Part 1: What it Is, What to Do. (Find Part 2: Herbs and Supplements HERE) Asthma is a condition effecting the lungs. People who “have” asthma can go days, weeks, and months without having an attack. During an attack, the microscopic airways of the lungs become inflamed, limiting airflow.  The airways constrict, and

Jun
2022